The Troy Job
by ETroy
Summary: When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content. Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.
1. Chapter 1

**The Troy Job**

When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. **Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content.** Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.

Sadly, I don't own these characters or anything Leverage related. They are property of Electric Entertainment, Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Chris Downey, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and associates.

**Chapter One**

"It's done, man! That bastard is not going to recover. Interpol has all the evidence they need to put him in jail for life. And probably some of his associates are going to face a trial as well." Eliot rushed into the room in a very good mood.

"And he has no money left to bribe anybody or to run away," completed Hardison.

"Yeah! Another job well done!" Parker jumped on the sofa. "Where's Sophie? Did she go home already? Thought she was here with you."

"No. She is not here…" Nate started pacing, then suddenly stopped. "And she's not with you guys either…" He sat down next to Parker, with a pale face.

"Okay, man. What's wrong? Try her cell, Hardison," demanded a protective Eliot, immediately thinking as the retrieval specialist.

"She is not answering, man. Her comms aren't on either."

"Let's go to her place!" shouted Parker, picking up her tools.

The three young members of the team were heading to the door when they heard Nate's icy voice. "There's no point, guys."

"What? Why?" asked Parker, stunned.

"She fled… again…" Nate said almost inaudibly.

"What? I don't understand." Parker's eyes widened.

"She's been different lately. I should have seen something was wrong, I should have seen this coming… She's conned us again, she conned me and ran away. Only this time I won't be chasing her," Nate answered, his blue eyes getting darker while staring at an empty wall.

"It can't be, Nate. She may be in trouble. Perhaps we missed something, one of the marks from our past might have reached her in some way." Hardison had started the computers and was typing codes in frenzy.

Eliot came closer to where Nate was sitting. "Nate, what did you do, man? What did you say to her? 'Cause she wasn't going to go way like this unless you two had a big fight. And if you didn't, we are losing precious time here; we should be going after her." His retrieval specialist senses all in alert mode.

"Eliot's right. We should track her right now," Parker pointed out worriedly. Eliot kept looking at Nate with an angry face, waiting for an answer.

Nate stood up, got a double whiskey and drank it all at once. "You see, Eliot… Last night I asked her to marry me…" And a sadistic laugh came out his throat.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Troy Job**

When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. **Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content.** Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.

Sadly, I don't own these characters or anything Leverage related. They are property of Electric Entertainment, Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Chris Downey, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and associates.

**Chapter Two**

"… _Last night I asked her to marry me…"_

Nate began to recollect the night before. Sophie was with Robert Wright, their mark's son, at his father's house. She had already managed to hide cameras in the office and main rooms.

"All right, Sophie. The cameras are operating fine. We'll be recording the meeting between Mr. Wright and his associates tomorrow. At some point, you'll distract them and Parker can break in and get us all the paper trail we need, as well as anything of value that there is in his safe. For tonight you're done, you can come home now." Nate was saying on her comms.

"No, Nate. If I go now Robert will get suspicious. I'll stay for a bit more. It's better."

"No, Sophie. He has no idea. I'm sure you can called it the night. Besides, I have something important to talk to you."

"Here, darling, your wine." Nate heard Robert approaching Sophie.

"Thank you." She slowly lifted the glass to her lips. "Robert, I heard your father just acquired a Kandinsky."

"That's right. It was a gift for my birthday actually. It's in my bedroom. Would you like to see it?" he asked hopeful.

"I'd love to."

"Sophie! What are you doing?" Nate almost yelled through her earpiece.

"I know my business. Don't worry." She whispered to him before turning off the comms.

One and a half hour later, Sophie arrived at Nate's apartment.

"What was that?" He asked seriously.

"Good evening to you too, honey!" She gave a small peck on his lips.

"Why did you insist on staying with him after your job was done? And why did you turn off the comms?"

'He is stroking his furrowed brows… not good… let's change the subject,' she made a mental note.

"Darling, you know I love art... And as for the comms, you were bugging me! Trust me, Nate. I needed to distract him a bit more. That's all." She dropped on to the couch, pulling up her legs. "Now, what do you wanna talk to me?"

He sighed and extended his hands helping her stand again. Then he lifted her chin making her meet his gaze.

"Look… You and I… we're together for almost three years now… I, I think we should… Sophie, would you mar…"

She raised her hand and placed a finger over his mouth.

"Shhh… no, Nate. You won't do this now…" She said seriously.

"What? Why not? Don't you want to be with me?"

"It's not that. I mean… now is not the right time." Then she started laughing, lowering the tension. "Actually, I want everything I'm entitled to. I want dinner, flowers, a ring…" she continued waving her hand. "If I only knew all would take for you to hurry up was a little strike…"

"Oh, that was a strike? So, maybe we could restart our negotiation…"

"Right now, I just want a shower." She started walking to the bathroom.

"You know… I would love a shower too."

She looked over her shoulders, teasing him. Of course he followed her lead.

* * *

Nate's thoughts were interrupted by a still-shocked Hardison. "I couldn't track her phone or her comms and I couldn't find any of her aliases in any flight list. I guess she's still in town."

"Did you look under her real name?" asked Nate. "Yeah, I'm stupid enough not to remember it but I'm sure you do."

"Sorry, man. I'll do it immediately… You're right! She took a flight to New Zealand ten minutes ago!"

"It can't be!" said Parker, shaking her head.

"That's it!" Nate was practically yelling. "For now on you are forbidden to do anything to reach her. You understand? You will do NOTHING to contact her."

"You can't do that! Course we have to try to talk to her! She is our friend…" Parker started, but stopped once she noticed the shadow in Nate's eyes.

"Come on, guys. Let's get out of here. Nate needs to rest. Tomorrow we can discuss what to do. Meanwhile I'll go to her apartment and see if she left a note or something and you and Hardison are going to confirm whether she is really in that plane." Eliot put an arm on Parker's shoulder and guided her towards the door. Before leaving, he could see Nate grabbing the bottle again.

Later that night, Eliot entered Sophie's apartment. Almost all her things were there. More important, there were only two empty spaces at her crazy large shoes closet. She'd carried a few clothes. On the nightstand he found a note near an empty frame. She'd showed that frame to them once. It used to have a picture of the Leverage team. He remembered how Sophie convinced him to pose with the other four and asked one of their clients to take the picture as a celebration after finishing a particularly difficult job. Just a few sentences on the note: "I'm fine. Please, do not try to contact me. Sorry. S."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Troy Job**

When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. **Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content.** Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.

Sadly, I don't own these characters or anything Leverage related. They are property of Electric Entertainment, Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Chris Downey, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and associates.

**Chapter Three**

_About a month and a half ago…_

"Nate, did you see my nécessaire?" They had just arrived at the cottage and Sophie was organizing her belongings into the bathroom cabinet.

"What?" He was lying on the couch.

"My little bag? For make-up and meds?" She was now by the bathroom door, peering at him.

"No, Sophie. All your things are right there with you." He was looking at her now and could see her biting her bottom lip. Often not a good sign…

"It's not here, Nate. Could you please look in the car? It must be there. I'm sure I gave it to you to carry to the car."

"What! Come on, Sophie! It's freezing out there."

He was right. They'd faced a bad weather to get there. Their car almost got stuck with the snow.

"Darling… I need it!" she said, tilting her head.

"Really? You want me to go outside… If I get a cold, you'll regret it. I can be very, very grumpy."

She came closer to the sofa, leaned in and kissed him, her tongue exploring his opened mouth.

"You'll be my hero!" He stood up and she lightly slapped his lower back as he walked to the door. "Now, go. Quickly!"

Sophie couldn't believe when Nate invited her to take a few days off at that place. It was a cabin in the mountains, rustic architectural style, but it was nice. A kitchen with basic equipments, a leisure room with a pool table and a couple of board games, a bathroom with a bathtub. There wasn't really a dining room. Instead, there was a large bedroom with a bed and a couch, the latter in front of a rock fireplace. Through the window you could capture a great view of the lake.

When Nate came back, she was taking a bubble bath. Her brown curled hair was tied in a lazy bun. Her eyes were closed and candles lights were dancing over her face.

He took off his clothes and, moving her a little, he entered the tub behind her.

"That's nice," he said, caressing her arms.

"Mmhm..." she murmured, resting her head on his chest. "You found it?"

"Sorry, it's not there. We can go to the village tomorrow and buy whatever you want, okay?" He kissed the top of her head.

"Mmhm..." The tips of his fingers were tracing small drawings on her right thigh. His other arm crossed over her ribs.

Then he lazily moved his left hand to her breast, softly touching her nipple, while his right hand continued its work on her inner thigh. She sighed and turned her head, pressing her lips against his. He ran his lips along her neck and started nibbling her ear, his hot breath causing her to shiver. She caressed his thigh under the water for some time and turned to kiss him again. Her breath hitched, showing her own arousal. Then he held her hips and lifted her up, allowing her to accommodate him. They started moving together, a slow pace at first, then faster and faster until they both were satiated.

After, they stayed quiet for a long time, enjoying each other presence.

It was late when Nate changed and went to the kitchen to cook their dinner while Sophie lit the fire and arranged a bedspread and some cushions in front of it. They had pasta and red wine. He collected the dishes and they prepared to go to bed, but somehow ended up lying by the fire. It was a beautiful cold night. Nate pulled a blanket over Sophie's shoulders and finally closed his eyes, a wide smile on his face.

* * *

Sophie woke up with Nate kissing her collarbone. Through the glass windows, she could see snowflakes still falling.

"Morning."

"Morning, my beautiful." He slipped a hand under her nightshirt.

"Nate, darling… do you have a condom?" she asked, startled.

"What? Of course I don't have a condom, Soph!" He looked at her, a bit surprised.

"Honey… I'm off my pills. They were supposed to be in my nécessaire… We must go to the village first."

"What? Look at the window, darling. Besides, what's the difference between now and yesterday evening?" He didn't stop his hands though and a shiver passed through her spine.

"I'd taken one the night before, so I believe it was still in my body yesterday."

He'd lifted her shirt and was now fully focused on her breasts, turning his attention from one to the other.

"Ooh… what's happening to you these days?" She ran her fingers through his hair.

"You. You're happening to me." His blue eyes were darker and he was already playing with her lace panties.

She ran her hands down his back.

"Do you think we could do it… old-fashioned? I mean… we could go until… there… and then… stop?" She was blushing which made her all the more desirable.

His answer was a chaste kiss to her full lips. He lifted her shirt even more, passing it over her head. He too was already shirtless. She kissed his mouth deeply; then ran her lips down his neck and chest. When she pulled back, he placed small kisses to her throat and started to pull her lace down her legs. Nate moved to get rid of his boxers and turned his mouth to her breasts again.

His weight was pressing her body and she shifted slightly under him, grabbing his shoulders, tugging him closer as he accelerated his pace.

Once she felt they were getting closer to the edge, she gently pushed his shoulder and tried to move away. He held her hip, keeping her still, but stopped his pace for a moment.

"Darling… we're not teenagers anymore…" He was looking at her with pleading eyes. It took her a second but she nodded, very lightly.

He started his smooth strokes again, burying him deeper inside her. Her walls tightened and she gave a small hiss. Her full body was quaking. Three more thrusts and he finally released himself.

"Huh!" Although she was expecting him to do it, a soft gasp escaped her mouth.

He lifted his head and leaned over, kissing her.

"Are you fine?"

"Yeah… I mean… No woman is ever happy about being called old, but..."

He chuckled and lay down beside her. "I didn't say that!"

She rested her head on his shoulder. Her arm was over his chest and her right leg tangled with his.

"I know. I guess you're right. I mean, I'm in my forties…"

He tugged her closer yet and kissed her forehead.

They never made it to the village until they travelled back to Portland three days later.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Troy Job**

When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. **Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content.** Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.

Sadly, I don't own these characters or anything Leverage related. They are property of Electric Entertainment, Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Chris Downey, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and associates.

**Chapter Four**

"My Rose!" Vladimir Busiak entered the brewery and Sophie ran to him. He lifted her up in the air and gave her a small peck.

Caught by surprise, Nate turned to watch the scene. 'This is going too far… First time, okay, but now that he knows I exist how can he keep doing this?' Nate thought to himself.

"Vlad! So good to see you!" stated Sophie, still in his arms.

Nate couldn't help but approach the couple.

"Hello, Nate!"

"Vlad. How are you? What are you doing here back in Portland?"

"I came to see my Rose and ask her out for dinner."

"Hmm", Nate murmured. "You know we have a job to do tonight, right? One that will probably last all night long?" He had turned to Sophie. They were finishing their first job after coming back from the mountains. This particular job was a tricky long con that took them about three weeks but now was practically over.

"You have a job to do, honey. This final part is up to you and Hardison. You will be just wrapping things after all. My presence is not going to be required, so I guess I can have dinner with Vlad," Sophie argued, putting an arm around Nate's waist.

"Dinner, just dinner?"

"Of course, darling!" Sophie answered with a smile. 'Oh, she was good at manipulating people!'

Sophie kissed Nate's left cheek, picked up her purse and walked towards Vlad. As they were by the door, Nate could see Vlad giving her his arm to hold and could hear Sophie laughing and saying, "I'm starving!"

* * *

Nate finally arrived at his apartment at five in the morning and went straight to the bedroom. He was surprised that Sophie wasn't there and, almost automatically, he called her cell.

"Hello…" answered a sleepy Sophie.

"Soph?"

"Nate? What's wrong?" Sophie was suddenly awake.

"Sorry to wake you. I didn't realize it was this early. Everything's fine. I, I'm just checking on you."

"Okay, Nate. See you later then."

"Soph… why aren't you here? I mean, I thought you'd be here." 'Damn…', he was too used to have her at his flat, he almost forgot she had one of her own.

"Oh… I was tired and I knew you would spend the night working…"

"Is Vlad available today? We could have lunch."

"No. I mean, he was just passing by, his flight is today by noon."

"Hmm. How about a movie later then? There's this new noir festival and you owe me that, you know."

"Sounds good."

"Good. Go back to sleep, darling."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Troy Job**

When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. **Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content.** Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.

Sadly, I don't own these characters or anything Leverage related. They are property of Electric Entertainment, Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Chris Downey, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and associates.

**Chapter Five**

A few days later, Sophie and Nate were waiting to meet a new client. As usual, she was drinking tea and he, coffee. These days, at this early in the morning, she was certain it was only coffee. Nate wasn't drinking much anymore.

He was staring at her, making her uncomfortable. She'd been oddly quiet since Vlad came to visit and he was considering how to approach her about it. Just as he was about to open his mouth, the client appeared.

"Good morning, Mr. Ford."

"Good morning, Ms. Miller. Please, have a seat. This is my partner, Sophie Devereaux."

"Good morning, Miss Devereaux."

"Good morning. May I get you something? Tea, coffee?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

The client, a beautiful blond, told them how she was fired after finding out her boss was the head of an international ring of money laundering. Officially, he was the CEO of a financial holding, but that was just a veil. In actual fact, he and his associates used shell companies to move illegally obtained funds around the world and to make the money appear to have originated from legitimate sources.

"Do you have any evidence on his crimes, Ms. Miller?" Nate asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't. He is cautious. The only reason I noticed Mr. Wright was into something is that he passed me the wrong books once. As soon as I began to analyze them, I was suspicious, but he realized his mistake and took them from me before I could make a copy. Frankly, if he hadn't fired me a day later, I probably wouldn't have thought more of it."

"I see. He is a cautious man indeed, cautious and dangerous. Hardison, our tech specialist, did some research already, but couldn't find much because Mr. Wright has a team of former hackers working for him and they made it nearly impossible to crack into his computer files. Hardison could unclose two things though. That he keeps most of his money in overseas accounts accessed only by his own voice or by his son's voice, and a list of his major clients, a handful of arm dealers."

"Nate, this seems to be a job for the police," interrupted Sophie.

"I checked, Sophie. The police got closed to catch Mr. Wright twice. But he escaped by bribing people in the right positions. They have nothing against him. And his crimes are utterly hideous. I mean, he helps arm dealers, for God's sake!"

"It's difficult enough to be unemployed in this economy, Mr. Ford, but it's worse for me because he denied me a reference letter. And yesterday I read on the news that he bid for a Kandinsky. It's just not fair that he keeps playing as a successful businessman and I struggle to pay my bills."

"We'll look into it. Don't worry," Nate answered, a bit uneasy.

"Sorry about that." Ms. Miller was trying to stop her three years old son from pulling Nate's mug. "I can't afford a babysitter anymore."

"That's all right." Sophie caressed the boy's little fingers.

"Course. We understand. Having a child is hard. I mean, sorry if I sound too harsh. They are nice and all, but... I just know I couldn't do this again," Nate said, sipping his coffee.

Sophie stepped in. "That's about it, Ms. Miller. We will contact you once we figure out how to work your case." She stood to lead the client to the door.

As soon as the client left, Sophie turned back and stood next to Nate's chair, putting an arm around his shoulders. "So? We are taking this job, right? How are you planning to do it, since Hardison can't get his files?"

"Eliot did some reckon and found out Mr. Wright keeps his real account books and other compromising documents in his house."

"Parker is going to steal them…"

"Yes, but that won't be enough. You heard… he's escaped before. We also need to record him or his son saying as many different words as possible. Hardison is sure that, with those records, he will be able to access his bank accounts and transfer his money. Without money, he can't bribe anybody. One more thing would be nice… if we get footage of him talking business, we can make his associates believe he betrayed them, so they will turn against each other. Yeah… that would be great…"

"You have everything figured out already, don't you?" She was once again amazed by his brains.

"Pretty much. In fact, I think it's not going to be too difficult to take this guy down. We've done worse things before."

The time would prove him right about that. The job would go smooth and Mr. Wright would be facing jail. Nate just didn't count that other events would soon turn their lives upside down. If only he knew… But he was now concentrated on their current problem of taking down Mr. Wright.

"The way in is his son. He is in his late thirties, single. He enjoys sports cars and beautiful ladies. At least one cannot blame him for that, right?" He tugged Sophie onto his lap with a fast move and gave her a small peck.

"I thought Hardison told you they both are out of town."

"Yes, they're in San Francisco and I might go there as well to check a few things about their associates. But I'm confident we can access the father's properties through the son. Are you up for playing his new love interest?"

"Why not?" It took her a moment to answer. "Let's go upstairs and wait to brief the team then."

"Not so fast…" She had stood up and was already in the first step of the stairs when Nate pulled her arm.

"What?" She turned to him.

"You look beautiful today." He said, wrapping her waist.

"Just today?" She was wearing a simple gray skirt and a feminine white silk blouse.

"You know you're amazing." He always wondered how she could make any outfit look great.

She tilted her head and met his gaze. "You're not so bad either, Mr. Ford."

"Thank you." He was passing his right thumb along her jaw. "Is everything alright? You've been different lately."

"Everything is alright, Nate. I'm just worried about my theatre rehearsals. Also, sometimes this rainy city gets into my nerves, you know."

"I was thinking… Maybe after this job we could have another vacation. A longer one. What about Damascus?"

"Honey, unfortunately, from what I've heard on the news, Damascus is not the best choice nowadays."

"You're right. It's a pity, actually. But we can choose another place."

She grabbed his collar and kissed him passionately, as if a sense of urgency had taken her.

His hands were now playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Nate, I know it's Monday and the brewery staff is not coming today, but… how much time do we have before the team gets here?" She whispered into his ears.

"Maybe I could call and tell them not to come. Do you think I should?" He had managed to unbutton her blouse and was working on her bra.

"Yes, definitely."

Clearing his throat, he picked up his phone and called Eliot, quickly dismissing the team for the day. Sophie's fingers wouldn't stop playing with the waistband of his trousers.

"You make me insane, Miss Devereaux." He pinned her arms against the brick walls with one hand while the other began lifting her skirt.

"Wait! You do realize Hardison must have cameras all over this place, don't you?"

"I deactivated them as soon as we arrived this morning."

"You, naughty!"


	6. Chapter 6

**The Troy Job**

When Nate is finally ready to move forward, Sophie goes missing and their lives turn upside down. Sophie/Nate and Leverage team. **Please be aware: Rated M and sexual situations described. Only read if you are legally/age appropriate to this type of content.** Thanks to Monkeywand for beta-ing. Of course, all remaining mistakes are strictly mine. Reviews are welcome.

Sadly, I don't own these characters or anything Leverage related. They are property of Electric Entertainment, Dean Devlin, John Rogers, Chris Downey, Gina Bellman, Timothy Hutton, Beth Riesgraf, Aldis Hodge, Christian Kane, and associates.

**Chapter Six**

The morning after, Nate and Hardison were looking at blueprints of the mark's house. Parker was hanging from the brewery's ceiling, practicing her rappel skills, and Sophie was reading a fashion magazine. Eliot was beginning his usual task of cooking their breakfast. Pancakes and omelets.

All of a sudden, Sophie rushed to the bathroom. Nate went after her immediately.

"Sophie… are you alright?"

"Yes. Everything is fine, Nate," she answered from the bathroom.

"Please, open the door."

"Don't worry, Nate. I'm coming in a few minutes."

"Sophie…"

"Nate, please. I just drank too much wine yesterday. We shouldn't have spent all day here. Your fault, of course."

"Of course." He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Please, Nate, get back to the team or they will be here too and there's no need for this. I'll be embarrassed."

"You embarrassed… that's new… But, okay, I will let them know you're alright."

"Fine, thanks."

Minutes later, she left the bathroom to find him still at the door.

"Really? You're here yet?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"You look pale."

"I'm good. But I guess I could use some rest."

"Do you want me to take you to a doctor?" he asked, holding both her hands.

"No, I'm fine, thanks."

He leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Darling, I think I'd rather go home and rest a bit. We can meet at night."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, Nate. I'm good, I promise. You must do final arrangements to your trip to San Francisco."

"Sophie, I don't want you to be alone. I'll ask Parker to go with you then."

"Nate, it's impossible to rest near Parker," Sophie stated, a bit annoyed.

He considered for a moment, but there was no way to disagree with that, so he gave in.

"Okay. You go home and rest. And keep you cell close to you. I'll check on you from time to time."

"Yes, sir!" she smirked, kissing his cheek.

* * *

Nate and Sophie had exchanged keys and security system codes from each other apartments, so that night he let himself in at hers, not willing to disturb her in case she was sleeping. But, judging by the sound of water, she was taking a shower. He had brought some fresh vegetables and started cooking them a soup. He was setting the table when she finally entered the kitchen.

"Hey! Are you better?"

"Much better, thank you." She stayed silent for a moment, observing him finishing the dishes. Then she approached and hugged him from behind.

"What's this? It smells good."

"My special soup. A recipe I learned from my mom."

"You're full of surprises."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He turned to her, cupping her face in his hands.

"Perfect!"

That night they had dinner and went to bed early, since Nate would go to San Francisco first thing in the morning.

* * *

Once in San Francisco, Nate kept checking on Sophie. One by one, the team also paid her a visit. Parker practically spent the day, while Eliot came to cook for them. One by one, she reassured them she was feeling well. However, two days after Nate's trip, Sophie had some rather unpleasant visitors and decided it was time to take things in her own hands.

"Sophie, where are you? I just talked to Eliot and he said you travelled to New York?" It was Nate calling her cell.

"Yeah. I was feeling up for some shopping. It's the best medicine for me, you know. And there's no place like New York for this. Well, except for Paris, perhaps..."

"Aren't you sick?"

"Of course not. And since you'll be in San Francisco for five more days, I thought I might have some fun too."

"I'm not having fun, I'm working."

"Nate… I'll be back sooner than you know. Must go now. I'll call you tomorrow. Bye."

"Sophie…" She hung up before he could complain. She had been pretty convincing and he knew better than to argue with her, especially about shopping.

Of course she was not in New York and Hardison could easily track her if he had a reason to. But he had none.


End file.
